Matthew 1:23 (click to view Scripture below)
Our reading today is a reminder of God’s grace that comes in the middle of less than perfect circumstances. This prophetic word, that Mathew records, was first spoken by Isaiah to a desperate king in Israel, hundreds of years before. (Isaiah 9:6) Matthew places the prophetic statement in the middle of his telling of the unusual circumstances that surround Jesus’ birth. Matthew simply repeats Isaiah’s prophecy, as if to remind us one more time: God shows Himself powerful in the middle of messy situations. To add emphasis, Matthew reminds his readers that this miracle‘s name is: Immanuel — God with us! Every person living on planet Earth needs that Good News: God is with us! Just as Isaiah spoke to a people full of anxiety and just as Matthew repeated that promise in the middle Joseph and Mary’s “unusual” life situation: let this season be the moment you hear the fullest implications of the birth of the Christ child: God is with us!
Think about that declaration and live as if you believe its reality. If God is with us, then the possibility is present, right now, to overcome any crises that may be dragging us down. “God with us” changes every situation in our lives, because those words are the promise of God and are Truth filled. Don’t argue with God today. He’s with you; Jesus is born and all things are possible.
Vice President, ChildHope
Prayer: Lord, I want to see more fully the reality that comes with your birth. You are with us! Joy to the World!
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Matthew 1:23 (ESV)
23 “Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son,
and they shall call his name Immanuel”
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